The present invention generally relates to a ski braking mechanism wherein the braking unit includes a pair of movable levers, each having a pivot shaft intermediate a lower arm and an upper arm. The levers are generally rotatable about the pivot shaft between a braking position in which the lower arm extends below the bottom surface of the ski and a non-braking position wherein the levers are generally parallel with the upper surface of the ski. The upper arm is generally connected to a brake pedal which is dimensioned to engage with the bottom of a ski boot. The pedal is connected to an actuator arm which is operative to bias the pedal to a release position when pressure from the ski boot is removed. The brake pedal and the actuator arm form a toggle joint wherein the pedal is movable between a skiing position wherein the levers are in the non-braking position parallel to the surface of the ski and the release position wherein the lever arms are in a braking position.
In some known ski brakes, the lower arms of the braking levers turn or pivot inwardly toward the axis of the ski when the levers are in a non-braking position. This movement typically occurs when the toggle joint is depressed and the brake arms are parallel to the ski, and is effected by providing operating surfaces on the under side of the pedal to influence the upper arm portion of the lever in a certain direction and thus move the lower arms toward the longitudinal axis of the ski. One essential advantage of such a ski brake is that the pedal performs only pivotal movement as the toggle joint is depressed and that the pedal does not move in a longitudinal direction relative to the top surface of the ski. As a result, any frictional resistance particularly between the pedal and the ski boot of the skier is minimized.